Correlation Between Echocardiographic and Hemodynamic Variables in Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVES

The echocardiographic indices have not been validated in critically ill population. The authors investigated the correlation between some echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters.

DESIGN

Prospective, spontaneous, noninterventional observational study.

SETTING

Adult cardiothoracic intensive care unit, single center (Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom).

PARTICIPANTS

Consecutive adult patients admitted to the cardiothoracic intensive care unit for severe respiratory failure, primary cardiocirculatory failure, and post-aortic surgery.

INTERVENTIONS

Clinical hemodynamic parameters (stroke volume [SV], cardiac output [CO], mean arterial pressure [MAP], and cardiac power index [CPI]) and echocardiographic indices of ventricular function (left ventricular total isovolumic time [t-IVT], mitral annular plane systolic excursion [MAPSE], and left ventricular fraction [LVEF]) were evaluated offline.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The study comprised 117 patients (age 57.2 ± 19; 60.6% male). The t-IVT showed an inverse correlation with SV, CO, MAP, and CPI (r -67%; -38%; -45%; -51%, respectively). MAPSE exhibited a positive correlation with SV, CO, MAP, and CPI (r 43%; 44%; 34%; 31%, respectively). LVEF did not show any correlation. In the multivariate analysis the association between t-IVT and hemodynamics was confirmed for SV, CO, MAP, and CPI, with the highest partial correlation between t-IVT and MAP (R = -58%).

CONCLUSIONS

MAPSE and t-IVT are 2 reproducible and reliable echocardiographic indices of systolic function and ventricular efficacy associated with hemodynamic variables in cardiothoracic critically ill patients, whereas LVEF did not show any correlation.